Finland focus: Recoil Games

Our special report on the Finnish games industry continues today with a look at a developer already courting enthusiastic attention from gamers for its work on Earth No More.

Recoil Games

Location: Helsinki
Headcount: 30
Brands: Earth No More
Specialty: Console/PC games

Recoil is currently working on Earth No More, which was recently embroiled in a lawsuit that had sadly silenced the studio. However, now the developer is talking about the game again, on which it is working with 3D Realms’ offshoot IP factory Radar Group.

A benefactor of the various Finnish and EU grants, details about Earth No More are still relatively sparse, but the game is nevertheless looking increasingly impressive.

A visit to Recoil does offer an interesting insight into the inner workings of Finnish developers. Typical of most studios that have opened their doors to Develop in Finland, the office is silent, with heads buried in computers. “We like to work in silence here,” says Samuli Syvähuoko. “It’s just the way things are done.

“We also believe very strongly in avoiding crunch. We don’t let people do that here that much. Sometimes, but only if it is really important. In Finland staff are given five weeks of holidays and other vacations on top of that, and we’ll always respect that. So when people are here, they work. And hiring is a vigorous process, as you can’t fire people in Finland.”

Recoil continues to work on Earth No More, complete with its internally-developed renderer, and a currently confidential game engine – more is expected to emerge in the coming weeks.

www.recoilgames.com